Chapter Summaries

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed an unconventional piece called “Moonlight” that baffled the judges, commentators, and viewers before they interpreted its lack of structure and climax as a deliberate critique of classical music formalism and listeners’ demand for instant gratification. As the performance reached its final passage, Zhang Dong watched the judges, anticipating their reaction.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s performance confused the judging panel and livestream viewers, while Zhang Dong argued that the piece seemed to lack classical music’s rigorous structure.
• Maple Leaf and Bamboo Leaf struggled to explain why “Moonlight” had no climax, as Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu continued playing.
• Lin Tian reflected on Gan Yan Yu’s growth and her determination to win, recognizing that her newfound confidence depended on pursuing victory at any cost.
• Gan Yan Yu played the piece’s most difficult passage cleanly, then immersed the audience in a vivid vision of moonlight reflected across a lake.
• Zhang Dong and Maple Leaf concluded that the moonlight was an illusion and that the piece deliberately used fragmented, structureless music and an anti-climax to criticize formalism and the pursuit of instant gratification.
• As Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu entered the final passage, Zhang Dong fixed his attention on the judges to see how they would respond.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed “Moonlight,” a challenging, anti-classical work that moved listeners and sparked a fierce scoring deadlock at the Dragon Qin Cup. The judges postponed their decision and convened a meeting, which Teacher Tuoba entered as their argument continued.

• Zhang Dong explained how “Moonlight” challenged listeners to decode its meaning, then praised Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu for trying to reshape classical music.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu finished their performance, bowed to thunderous applause, and left the judges struggling to decide their scores.
• Yao Han told He Shumo that the piece’s significance and the pressure from both public opinion and academia had put the judging committee in a bind, though He Shumo doubted Gan Yan Yu would advance.
• The commentators announced that the judges would hold a separate meeting before scoring, prompting cellists in the waiting room to voice support for Gan Yan Yu.
• The judges argued over the scores in a meeting room until Teacher Tuoba entered and asked to speak.

After Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian’s performance, the judges argued over her score while the competition’s break stretched on. Gan Yan Yu chose to leave with Lin Tian for a meal rather than wait for the semifinal results, which would be announced after all contestants performed.

• Maple Leaf and Bamboo Leaf laughed at how the judges’ prolonged deliberation showed the impact of Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian’s performance.
• The intermission stretched past twenty minutes as the audience, other pianists, and Zhang Dong’s livestream viewers anxiously discussed whether Gan Yan Yu would advance.
• The judges returned and resumed the competition without revealing Gan Yan Yu’s score, and Zhang Dong told viewers the semifinal results would be announced after all performances.
• Lin Tian asked Gan Yan Yu whether she wanted to stay for the results or leave, and she chose to go eat something delicious with him.

After Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed “Moonlight,” the performance went viral and sparked a wave of public reflection and renewed interest in classical music. Lin Tian cautioned Gan Yan Yu that the online reaction had not truly changed the world, then revealed that Mao Wei'ang had contacted him about a commercial collaboration.

• Zhang Dong checked his phone after ending his stream and found his clips and three topics about “Moonlight” trending online.
• Netizens reflected on their shallow listening habits and flooded Mao Wei'ang's Weibo with criticism of his commercial music.
• Tong Tai praised Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu's “Moonlight” as a landmark work, inspiring people online to create performances and art based on it.
• At a hotpot restaurant, Gan Yan Yu wondered whether they had changed the world after seeing people respond enthusiastically to “Moonlight.”
• Lin Tian pointed out that a woman nearby used “Moonlight” as a ringtone without recognizing them, and said they could only keep performing their music well.
• Lin Tian told Gan Yan Yu that Mao Wei'ang had added him and wanted to discuss a commercial collaboration.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu agreed to hear Mao Wei'ang’s proposed collaboration, then went to learn the Dragon Qin Cup semifinal results. Gan Yan Yu advanced in third place, and Tuoba Jianhui revealed that he had backed them before asking them to win the championship and represent China in the Ke'er Cup.

• Lin Tian told Gan Yan Yu that Mao Wei'ang had requested an in-person meeting about a music-related collaboration, and they agreed to hear him out before deciding.
• Gan Yan Yu said she believed their music had genuinely influenced some people, and Lin Tian encouraged her before they returned to the venue.
• The Dragon Qin Cup scores were announced, with Gan Yan Yu placing third and advancing to the finals; Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu were stunned by the result.
• He Zhichen explained that Tuoba Jianhui had used his reputation to guarantee Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu during the judges' meeting.
• Tuoba Jianhui knelt before Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu and asked them to win the championship and represent China in the Ke'er Cup.

Tuoba Jianhui knelt before Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, asking them to revive classical music, and Gan Yan Yu promised to win and perform it for the world. Yao Han explained that Tuoba had used his reputation to secure Gan Yan Yu a place in the Dragon Qin Cup finals, but if she won, Tuoba would be doomed beyond redemption.

• Tuoba Jianhui knelt before Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu and asked them to carry classical music forward, burdened by guilt over his past.
• Gan Yan Yu knelt before Tuoba Jianhui and vowed that she and Lin Tian would perform classical music for the whole world.
• He Shumo learned that Tuoba Jianhui had influenced the judges to advance Gan Yan Yu and worried about the consequences for the competition.
• Yao Han told He Shumo that Lin Tian's "Moonlight" had made a place in the finals inevitable and could sway judges toward sending Gan Yan Yu to the Ke'er Cup.
• Yao Han warned He Shumo that if Gan Yan Yu won the championship, Tuoba Jianhui would be doomed beyond redemption.

After the Dragon Qin Cup semifinals, Gan Yan Yu’s advancement with Classical Music and Lin Tian’s performance of “Moonlight” sparked widespread praise and renewed attacks on Mao Wei'ang and his supporters. Lin Tian prepared to meet Mao Wei'ang, worried he would struggle to hide his reaction to the online backlash.

• He Shumo and Yao Han discussed how each of the top four finalists could make history and how difficult the choice would be for the association.
• Lin Tian woke to news of Gan Yan Yu’s advancement and “Moonlight” topping daily streams in eighty-six countries and regions.
• Netizens celebrated Gan Yan Yu as the successor to her grandfather Gan Hua and hailed Lin Tian as China’s leading Classical Musician.
• Fans revived the Classical Music versus Pop Music dispute and flooded Mao Wei'ang’s and his supporters’ Weibo accounts with abuse.
• Lin Tian remembered he was supposed to meet Mao Wei'ang and worried about keeping a straight face.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu went to meet Mao Wei'ang, who apologized for the online dispute and proposed that they collaborate on a musical work. Lin Tian remained uneasy about how settled his relationship with Gan Yan Yu had become, while Mao Wei'ang's invitation left the pair with a choice about joining his effort to bring music fans together.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu joked about her appearance and weight, then Lin Tian privately worried that their stable relationship might make it difficult to become lovers later.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu arrived at Comet Entertainment and met Mao Wei'ang in his office.
• Mao Wei'ang apologized for his fans dragging them into the online dispute and said he was saddened that music lovers continued fighting after the competition.
• Mao Wei'ang said he had urged the Dragon Qin Cup judging committee to make its scoring standards public, but they rejected his suggestion.
• Mao Wei'ang invited Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu to collaborate on a musical work criticizing the competition format and the music industry's divisive atmosphere.

Lin Tian initially refused Mao Wei'ang's proposed collaboration to reconcile classical and Pop Music, unwilling to gloss over Gan Yan Yu's unfair treatment in the competition. After learning that Mao Wei'ang had late-stage cirrhosis and only five months to live, Lin Tian reconsidered and asked how they could work together.

• Mao Wei'ang asked Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu to collaborate on music to ease the conflict between classical and Pop Music fans.
• Lin Tian rejected the idea, explaining that a reconciliation project would disregard the unfair treatment Gan Yan Yu had suffered.
• Mao Wei'ang collapsed while retrieving Lin Tian's water, and his agent revealed that he had late-stage cirrhosis.
• Mao Wei'ang said he had only five months to live and regretted spending years suppressing his wish to create music himself.
• Lin Tian asked Mao Wei'ang how he wanted them to collaborate.

Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, and Mao Wei'ang planned a collaborative piece for the Dragon Qin Cup finals and decided to invite Bai Junze as a third cellist. Lin Tian found Bai Junze at an arcade and tried to persuade him to join, finally offering him a foot massage to get his attention.

• Mao Wei'ang proposed composing a piece for Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, and Gan Yan Yu suggested adding a third performer so the collaboration would include Pop Music.
• Lin Tian offered to write the arrangement and proposed inviting Bai Junze, whose cello skills could complement the group.
• Mao Wei'ang told Lin Tian that Bai Junze spent his time exploring Beijing, visiting bathhouses, and playing games, and Lin Tian agreed to track him down.
• Lin Tian used information from He Zhichen to find Bai Junze playing King of Fighters at a smoky arcade.
• Bai Junze brushed off Lin Tian's invitation to collaborate, so Lin Tian interrupted his game and offered to treat him to a foot massage.

Lin Tian brought Bai Junze to a foot bathhouse, then recruited him to join Mao Wei'ang and Gan Yan Yu in rehearsing a new ensemble piece, “Zhao Zilong.” The next day, the four musicians prepared to practice together, with Gan Yan Yu recording their first run-through.

• Lin Tian took Bai Junze to a foot bathhouse, where Bai Junze nervously let Lin Tian choose the attendants.
• Lin Tian brought Bai Junze to Comet Entertainment and introduced him to Mao Wei'ang and Gan Yan Yu as a collaborator.
• Lin Tian distributed his newly written score, “Zhao Zilong,” and told the musicians to practice individually before their ensemble rehearsal.
• Lin Tian saw Mao Wei'ang's manager acting affectionately with him and later tried to flirt with Gan Yan Yu in the car, but the driver interrupted them when they arrived.
• The next day, Bai Junze said he had practiced the piece only once, and Gan Yan Yu set up her phone to record as Lin Tian began conducting the ensemble.

Lin Tian rehearsed his three-cello arrangement of “Zhao Zilong” with Gan Yan Yu, Mao Wei'ang, and Bai Junze, impressed by each player's distinct strengths. When the ensemble repeatedly collapsed into noise, he used paired duets to identify the source of the clash.

• Lin Tian began rehearsing “Zhao Zilong,” and Gan Yan Yu played the opening solo passage with striking emotion.
• Mao Wei'ang played his section with a rhythmic, audience-focused style, while Bai Junze followed with an intense and unconventional performance.
• When all three cellists played the climax together, their parts clashed despite each insisting he had followed the score.
• Lin Tian repeated the ensemble passage and concluded that one of the three had a problem, while ruling out Gan Yan Yu based on her playing.
• Gan Yan Yu suggested testing the musicians in pairs; her duet with Mao Wei'ang went smoothly, but her duet with Bai Junze fell apart, prompting Lin Tian to accuse Bai Junze.

Lin Tian discovered that Bai Junze’s aggressive cello playing made ensemble work impossible, then learned that Bai Junze’s distrust of others stemmed from his father destroying his cello and driving him from home. Bai Junze urged Lin Tian to stop spending time on him, leaving Lin Tian’s effort to help him unresolved.

• During rehearsal, Bai Junze’s cello overwhelmed Gan Yan Yu and Mao Wei'ang, ruining the ensemble, and Bai Junze left the practice room.
• Lin Tian decided not to abandon Bai Junze and planned to speak with him the next day.
• At dinner, Lin Tian told Bai Junze to trust his fellow cellists and ease up, but Bai Junze said he could not trust anyone.
• Bai Junze explained that his father had opposed his musical ambitions, smashed his cello eight years earlier, and prompted him to leave home.
• Bai Junze told Lin Tian he admired him but urged him to stop wasting time on him.

Lin Tian struggled to understand how Bai Junze’s family history had shaped his music, while Gan Yan Yu proposed an open-air concert with Mao Wei'ang’s group. A hidden mission tied the performance to a 14-day deadline, and the chapter ended with Gan Yan Yu messaging He Zhichen about Bai Junze’s hometown.

• Lin Tian left his conversation with Bai Junze unsure whether he could overcome the effects of Bai Junze’s family history before the finals.
• Gan Yan Yu showed Lin Tian photos of Caviar Square and proposed holding an open-air concert there with Mao Wei'ang and the others.
• A hidden mission appeared, requiring Lin Tian and his partner to perform with two Pop Music artists and earn 36,000 excitement points within 14 days.
• Lin Tian told Gan Yan Yu about Bai Junze and wondered whether his insecurity came from his father or from years of drifting.
• Gan Yan Yu suggested that Bai Junze’s performances conveyed freedom, prompting Lin Tian to consider what lay beneath his flamboyant style.
• Gan Yan Yu privately messaged He Zhichen to ask whether Bai Junze’s hometown was Hanjiang.

Lin Tian gathered Mao Wei'ang and Bai Junze to practice without Gan Yan Yu and proposed a free open-air concert. The trio completed their first ensemble without mistakes, though Mao Wei'ang remained doubtful about Bai Junze's commitment.

• Mao Wei'ang arrived at Comet Entertainment's practice room and learned that Gan Yan Yu was absent, while Lin Tian said he would lead practice.
• Bai Junze arrived and said he had come for Lin Tian's sake, despite Mao Wei'ang's surprise that he had continued attending.
• Lin Tian proposed a free open-air concert, and Mao Wei'ang warned that a public performance could draw scrutiny and jeopardize their Dragon Qin Cup finals.
• Bai Junze urged them to make their collaboration a major event, and Mao Wei'ang agreed they would need to take it seriously.
• Lin Tian softened the piano rhythm as Mao Wei'ang and Bai Junze played together, and they finished the ensemble section without mistakes.
• Mao Wei'ang said that improvement depended on the musicians' attitudes and looked pointedly at Bai Junze.

Lin Tian advised Mao Wei'ang to make his performance less hollow as the group prepared to play together. Meanwhile, Yao Han told He Shumo that Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, Mao Wei'ang, and Bai Junze were preparing a public performance, and they considered leaking the news in advance.

• Mao Wei'ang confronted Bai Junze about taking their rehearsal seriously, and Bai Junze responded by renewing his focus.
• Lin Tian told Mao Wei'ang that his cello playing felt hollow and suggested he try reading the music's heart.
• Yao Han told He Shumo that Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, Mao Wei'ang, and Bai Junze were preparing a public performance featuring both pop and classical music composed by Lin Tian.
• He Shumo and Yao Han discussed the artists' fanbases and considered leaking news of the performance ahead of time.

News of Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, Mao Wei'ang, and Bai Junze’s ensemble sparked backlash and suspicion across the music world before the group’s rehearsal triggered Bai Junze’s recovered memories. Bai Junze realized his anger toward his father was mixed with love and left to clean house, meeting Gan Yan Yu at the door with an old cello.

• Media outlets reported that Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, Mao Wei'ang, and Bai Junze were collaborating, prompting angry reactions from fans and the Chinese Music Scene.
• He Zhichen discussed the leak with Lin Tian, who suspected someone might simply enjoy causing chaos.
• Lin Tian arrived at Comet Entertainment, reassured Mao Wei'ang, and urged him to focus on making the ensemble succeed despite the backlash.
• During rehearsal, Mao Wei'ang played with increased intensity, which stirred Bai Junze’s painful memories of his father and the cello he had smashed.
• Bai Junze recovered his memories, recognized the love mixed into his resentment toward his father, and left to go home and clean house.
• Gan Yan Yu arrived carrying a battered old cello as Bai Junze stepped outside.

Mao Wei'ang snapped at Bai Junze, who reacted to Gan Yan Yu's cello as though he recognized it as his father's. As Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu prepared for their public performance, Yao Han revealed that he had engineered the disastrous ensemble to push them toward a transformation before the Dragon Qin Cup finals, and Lin Tian was left quietly hurt when Gan Yan Yu spoke of their future only in terms of music and shared ambitions.

• Mao Wei'ang confronted Bai Junze, who dropped to his knees and murmured "Dad" while touching Gan Yan Yu's cello.
• Moonlight and Cat Studio and Mao Wei'ang's studio announced a brief free roadshow at Fish Roe Plaza, drawing excitement and protest online.
• Yao Han told He Shumo that the ensemble was doomed and revealed he had set it up to drive Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu toward a breakthrough before the Dragon Qin Cup finals.
• A huge crowd gathered at Fish Roe Plaza on Sunday, and Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu recalled their first street performance while waiting backstage.
• Gan Yan Yu described plans to work harder and further their musical ambitions after the competition, leaving Lin Tian feeling that their future held no personal dreams together.
• He Zhichen told Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu to get ready to go onstage.

Before the ensemble’s performance, Lin Tian learned how Mao Wei'ang first fell in love with music and why he had devoted his life to making people feel joy through sound. As the musicians headed onstage, Lin Tian urged Mao Wei'ang to listen closely to Gan Yan Yu, who he believed could help him find what his music lacked.

• Mao Wei'ang told Lin Tian that he had only five months to live and thanked him for guiding him during preparations for the performance.
• Lin Tian recalled that he began appreciating classical music while listening to Gan Yan Yu’s records at her home, then shared the memory with Mao Wei'ang.
• Mao Wei'ang recounted seeing Gan Hua perform when he was twelve and explained that he had spent his life using music to bring people joy.
• Lin Tian understood why Mao Wei'ang focused on sound and feeling, while recognizing that his music lacked the heart Gan Yan Yu could help him discover.
• Mao Wei'ang admitted that he had joined the collaboration partly to perform with Gan Yan Yu and said he wanted to experience the musical world Gan Hua had seen.
• As the ensemble went onstage, Lin Tian encouraged Mao Wei'ang to listen to Gan Yan Yu and praised her to her face.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu began their open-air performance at Fish Roe Plaza, calming rival fan groups before launching into Lin Tian’s new piece, “Zhao Zilong.” The audience and online viewers were swept up in the music, while Zhang Dong predicted that the piece would soon introduce its tragic hero.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu took the stage with Mao Wei'ang and Bai Junze as rival fan groups argued under the watch of police.
• Lin Tian silenced the crowd with a gesture, and the audience set aside its disputes to listen to the performance.
• Lin Tian began playing piano, and Gan Yan Yu joined him on cello as “Zhao Zilong” evoked a hero galloping into battle.
• Zhang Dong and Yao Han praised the music as viewers watched the widely streamed performance, which caused multiple platforms to crash.
• Zhang Dong identified the piece’s fusion of rock, traditional musical qualities, cello, and piano, then anticipated the arrival of its tragic hero.